So it’s Star Wars day again and I have another chance to discuss one of the greatest franchises in movie history. Last year I defended the prequels prior to the release of The Force Awakens. They aren’t that bad, after all. It’s just a shame that The Force Awakens was so good that it makes them seem worse now. Still, this year, May 4th has fallen on a Wednesday which mean it’s time to write another top 10 list. This time my list of all time favourite characters. I’m not really a very original thinker so this is bound to be very reminiscent of most people’s top 10. Had the newest film not royally fucked her character up, Captain Phasma would no doubt have been here. Of course, that was a massive let down. Although she has time to make the cut. As does Poe who would have been here had he had more screen time. I’d love to have included Mace Windu but I feel like I needed a reason beyond “he’s fucking Samuel L Jackson and has a purple lightsabre”. So I present to you, without further ado, my top 10 Star Wars characters.
Nine: Kylo Ren
I was wavering about including too many newer characters onto the list because we’ve still only seen Episode 7. We haven’t really seen much of any of the new faces from The Force Awakens to tell if they deserve being given such high accolades. However, Kylo Ren was such a great addition to the new film that I couldn’t ignore him. There has been a constant struggle between the light and the dark side in all the Star Wars films that it was difficult to imagine it feeling fresh. Kylo Ren does that. Having such an avid Sith Lord being pulled back to light side was fantastic. Add to that his teenage temper tantrums and we have a potentially new iconic figure.
Eight: Luke Skywalker
Very nearly didn’t make it into the top 10 because, as we’re all aware, Luke is a bit of a joke as the hero. He’s the annoying teenager who stumbles into the limelight and manages to be utterly annoying whilst saving everyone. Kind of like Harry Potter, we like him because he’s the main guy but we kind of wish someone else was. However, Luke is no.1 so he gets a lot of the juicy bits. His lightsabre fights are the best in the originals and he is a part of most of the iconic scenes. You don’t want to be Luke but you can’t help but admire his journey.
Seven: R2D2/BB8
Six: Chewbacca
Five: Princess Leia
Princess Leia shines partly because she’s a lone female figure in a male dominated universe. She also shines because she’s so fucking awesome. She stands up against the Empire, watches her home planet destroyed and still comes out being sassy. She’s a strong, independent and self-assured leader who isn’t content to sit around waiting for evil to strike. Even if she sometimes has to play the role of sex-symbol, there is never any doubt that Leia is a hero in her own right rather than a damsel in distress.
Four: Darth Vader
Three: Obi Wan Kenobi
I admit, my love of Ewan McGregor probably has a lot to do with my love of Obi Wan but I think the Jedi deserves his place at number 3. Obi Wan had the horrible task of spouting a lot of Force related nonsense but, thanks to the great job of the two actors playing him, he sounds like a fucking genius rather than a lunatic. Obi Wan was the introduction to the Jedi culture for both Luke and the audience and we were happy to follow him into unknown territories. He’s the mentor we all wished we could have had at some point in our lives.And let’s not forget, he’s also one of the biggest badasses of them all.
Two: Boba Fett
One: Han Solo
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